Celtic 1-1 Manchester City

THOMAS GRAVESEN and Derek Riordan instantly flopped but Celtic refused to flounder in their friendly against Manchester City last night.

THOMAS GRAVESEN and Derek Riordan instantly flopped but Celtic refused to flounder in their friendly against Manchester City last night.

The name of Petrov used to be revered by the Hoops fans but Martin Petrov wasn't Stilian and Gordon Strachan's side weren't themselves when the Bulgarian scored the opener in the second half.

It was no more than Mark Hughes' side deserved and no surprise given the unfamiliar nature of the line-up chosen by the Celtic manager.

But Paul McGowan squeezed in an equaliser with 10 minutes left after getting a nudge on a Paul Caddis free-kick.

Strachan sidelined most of the side who won the championship last season and gave no hint as to the selection which might kick off the defence of the title against St Mirren on Sunday.

What can be taken for granted is that neither Gravesen nor Riordan will feature in the starting line-up or even the list of options available to the manager after giving lifeless displays on their return from obscurity.

McGowan, who also rattled the bar before time-up, could have taught them a thing or two about the virtues of selfless hard work on a night when the outcasts had a chance to come in from the cold.

There was an element of the bring and buy sale about the game.

The inclusion of Riordan and Gravesen was a blatant attempt to use the match being shown live on satellite television as a platform for getting rid of unwanted players.

The box might have its uses when it comes to window-shopping managers but it also helped reduce the size of the crowd.

Persistent rain and the growing feeling that watching players getting fit for competitive matches, or advertising their availability, isn't a spectator sport also reduced the numbers to half of the ground's capacity.

Part of the interest for Strachan might have lain in the opportunity to see Paddy McCourt play in the flesh for the first time.

The £150,000 signing from Derry City was on the bench after having sat out all of Celtic's pre-season matches to date.

Nothing could be read into that prolonged absence.

After all, only two weeks had passed since the manager had said Gravesen would never play for Celtic again because there was no room for him in the team system so he obviously keeps an open mind on all things.

City's system was the more fluent to begin with and Celtic's shadow team was moved about the park in pursuit of a side who were taking the occasion seriously.

The game might have had a decent tempo but it was turgid in terms of being a spectacle for the fans.

It was as well the fixture was part of the season ticket-holders' entitlement because any extra expense would have been grudged under the circumstances.

Neither keeper had a save to make deep into the first half and only the periodic chanting that Rangers would be taking no further part in Europe this season reminded you the crowd was still there.

Riordan and Gravesen were missing in full view of the public as the interval approached and doing their cause of encouraging transfer bids no good.

There were also bouts of erratic defending that hinted a goal, if one was to come, was more likely to go to the visiting side than their hosts.

Darius Vassell might have scored the opener a minute from the break but his header in the midst of more chaotic defending went over Artur Boruc's bar.

Gravesen's typically bewildering display of individual indiscipline in a team context was only good for the first 45 minutes and he was kept in the dressing room when the second half started.

Georgios Samaras, formerly of Man City, and Caddis replaced the Dane and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink as Celtic went off in search of entertainment.

The latest clash of the Premier Leagues from North and South of the border hadn't been the embarrassingly one-sided contest of recent memory but it still took Boruc to make a one-on-one save from Vassell to keep the scoreline level and Scottish pride intact. Parity lasted 54 minutes when the inevitable happened and City scored.

Petrov finished off a move that saw Celtic's defence beaten for pace and his angular shot from close range was too much even for Boruc's powers of defiance.

Hughes' side then stepped up a gear and started to look ominously like a side who were going to leave a belated stamp on a game they'd dominated withoutgiving ample proof of their superiority.

Celtic seemed intent on experimentation and McCourt was finally released from the subs' bench after 62 minutes.

He took Riordan's place and missed a glorious chance to equalise with his second touch of the ball. Caddis' cross evaded the City defence and found the Irishman alone at the back post but his volleyed attempt flew wildly past and a glorious chance to make a name for himself was squandered.

Paul Hartley had gone by then, replaced by youngster Mark Millar, but the stand-in captain had shone brighter than most.

But Celtic's enthusiasm grew as the game went on and they equalised through McGowan who bundled the ball in from close range following a Caddis free-kick from wide on the right.

There was still time for Boruc to block a drive from City sub Ched Evans and the eager McGowan to blast the ball off the bar and over.